Struggling with Dinner Ideas: Seeking Easy, Kid-Friendly Meals for a Busy Schedule

[jomellgroup]

@savedbythegraceofgod well done!

 

[laperladelsur]

Have a look at Taming Twins on Instagram. She has loads of easy meal plans with shopping lists and recipes that take 30 mins or less to make. Her recipes and meal plans have been a total game changer for our house.

 

[servoguy]

What DO they eat? A loose meal plan with approved meals in the rotation can help with the daily dinner stress. Ask the children for suggestions. Get them involved in cooking (my children only eat margarita pizza if we buy them buuuut we made pitta pizzas the other day and they actually put a variety of toppings on them!)
With no idea what you and your children do or don't eat I can only list meals that go down well in our house (we're vegetarian/pescetarian)
Pumpkin soup (Caribbean style)
Hot dogs and homemade wedges
Vegetable lasagne
Lentil bolognese
Quiche/fish fingers/sausages mash and beans
Homemade bean burgers
Chickpea curry
Stew peas and rice
Mixed beans with rice or mash or "hard food"
Jacket potatoes with baked beans and cheese
Pitta pizzas (passata or homemade sauce, cheese and choice of toppings)
Wraps or pitta pockets (mixed beans or halloumi or falafel or leftover lentils or fish fingers or plantain with salad and houmous)
Fried rice
Stir fried noodles
Pesto pasta
Cheesy pasta
Tomato pasta
Puff pastry bakes (shop bought pastry with cheese, tomato, spinach) with veg/beans and chips/mash
Cooked breakfast for dinner

 

[servoguy]

Thanks for asking because I can never think what to cook but in trying to help you I'm actually surprised at my own list

 

[neomedipharm]

If the kids are eating hot meals it school, they'd be having something on toast or crumpets etc for tea, they don't need 2 hot meals a day. That would take the stress away. Ask them what they want. Make a meal plan, shop by it.

 

[cloudlessulfer]

Slow cooker meal x takes a little prep on one day for a whole week x search bar on tic tok slow cooker bag meals

 

[princefox3]

Houston and hello fresh. Let them pick their own meals for the week

 

[jynger71]

Batch cook, I hate cooking but once batched it's sorted take it out warm.it up. Or slow cooker. Whatever you can do to make life easier. X

 

[davidanderson1985]

Mine love goujon wraps! chicken goujons/nuggets with grated cheese, garlic mayo & ketchup in a wrap, sometimes lettuce if we have it. I cut up pepper, cucumber, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes too- quick easy tea!

 

[kojosky]

Following

 

[fitforchrist]

2 min packet rice, drained tin of tuna, tin of sweetcorn and a big dollop of pesto. Dinner in 2 minutes.

 

[rusmann]

Get an air fryer if you dont already have one saves so much time and washing up! Also saves money and healthier xx

 

[preacherman777]

If your throwing lots a way, meal plans not going to plan etc Maybe on the way home from school stop at the shops discuss on the way there what everyone fancies and buy the bits needed, when home see if they want to get involved helping make it even if it is just something simple then they might be proud they’ve chosen it made it and now about to sit down at eat it. Not everyone wants or can go to the shops daily but just an idea xx

 

[preacherman777]

But if they are eating a hot meal for lunch then picky bits at dinner isn’t bad at all xxx

 

[mynameishephzibah]

F

 

[cluksha]

Wrap pizzas- large wrap, passata sauce, grated cheese, toppings of choice, kids can help, 8mins in oven
Mini chicken fillets with cheese wrapped in bacon ( in the oven for 25mins) with cheddar mash, veg & gravy ( i use frozen mash for quickness, microwave in a casserole dish, stir in grated cheese, sprinkle over the top, bake for 20mins till golden)
Baked potatoes with cheese and beans, salad on the side
Cheese omelette with chips
All day breakfast
Spaghetti hoops on toast
Bacon and Brie toastie
Mac n cheese with garlic bread & broccoli
Pork steak twith apple sauce and grated cheese baked in oven for 25mins served with roasted hasselback potatoes and veg
Sausage and mash with peas and gravy
Baked salmon ( make a grease proof paper bag, put the salmon in with a little knob of butter, baked for 15mins) serve with chips andpeas
Spaghetti and meatballs in a tomato sauce ( for the sauce fry chopped onion, garlic, tin chopped tomatoes, mixed herbs ) top with grated cheese
Loaded nachos
Do a picnic / old fashioned Sunday tea

 

[njeri]

Jacket potatoes with toppings, filled pasta with cheese, tuna pasta bake, chicken fajitas that they put together themselves, slow cooked casseroles, tinned soup with a sandwich, savoury pancakes, bolognese, microwave rice with steamed veg and meat/fish diced into it

 

[ryank060]

I wouldn't cook different meals for different people, its "tonight I am cooking ..., do you want some? If not you'll have to go hungry". Or cook pizza or jacket potatoes with a few different toppings.

 

[seekthegame]

Make a list of what you have fresh & frozen & decide as a family what you’re all having for the week from the ingredients you already have. I’ve found this saves lots of waste & uses what you already have x

 

[ajak]

Jamie Oliver has just done a 4 week meal plan…

https://www.jamieoliver.com/budget-friendly-meal-plan/...